Beanproof cap for baseball, racing and allied sports



M r h 1, 1 J. P. TAYLOR 2,926,356

BEANPROOF CAP FOR BASEBALL, RACING, AND ALLIED SPORTS Filed Jan. 3. 1958 mvmom JIM-'57.! P 2797201? United States Patent BEANPROOF CAP F OR BASEBALL, RACING, AND ALLIED SPORTS James P. Taylor, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Application January 3, 1958, Serial No. 707,020

1 Claim. ((1 2-3) This invention relates to sports equipment and more particularly to a safety head covering.

Various types of head coverings have been provided which include padding and straps that are intended to insulate the skull of the wearer from the outer continuous rigid shell of the head covering. However, it has been found that these types of head covering transmit a substantial amount of the impact shocks that are imparted to the head covering, thereby causing concussion and serious injury to the wearer.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a beanproof cap which is simple in construction, efiicient in operation, and which will substantially absorb and prevent the transfer of impact shocks, through the article, to the head of the wearer. In demonstrations of the cap, the inventor has been slugged with hammers, baseball bats, and beaned repeatedly, without sustaining injury. The inventor claims that his beanproof cap frees baseball players from serious injuries by transforming the effect of a pitched baseball at 100 miles per hour (more or less) into a mere jarring vibration, with no concussion.

Another object of this invention is to provide a cap that is extremely light in weight, strong in construction, and amenable to mass production at low cost.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a cap with a shatterproof visor.

All of the foregoing, and still further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cap made in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of a cap shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side elevation view of the cap shown in Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawing, a beanproof cap made in accordance with the present invention is shown to include a main body portion 13 which is adapted to completely enclose the forehead, temple areas, top, and back of the players head. The main body portion is constructed from a plurality of spaced rigid plates 14 which are encased in alternating layers of resilient material 15, guaranteeing a kickback concussion absorbing effect, upon impact, at any portion of the cap.

While the drawing illustrates a cap having only a single layer of plates 14 disposed between inner and outer layers of the resilient material 15, it will be recognized that this alternate arrangement may be repeated 'ice any number of times to further distribute and cushion the impact blows to the head piece. A top plate 16 of substantially oval shape is also encased within inner and outer layers of the resilient material 15 and is integrally a part of the main body portion.

A plurality of small holes 17 extend through the top of the cap to facilitate the circulation of air therethrough, so as to be more comfortable to the wearer. The lower edge of the main body portion is of arcuate shape extending downward toward the rear thereof, enclosing the rear part of the head. All inner surfaces touching the head are leather lined to prevent sweating.

A superimposed cloth cap (bearing the clubs colors) may be used if desired. Three sizes of cap will ensure snug fit covering the gamut of club head sizes.

A sun visor or peak 20 is secured to the front part of the main body portion intermediate the upper and lower extremities thereof and is made of a soft shatterproof material so as to yield readily when struck by a blow. In use, the cap may be worn by the batter in a baseball game, a hockey player, a racer, or any other similar type of sportsman. The resiliency of the soft base material repels the force of impact, such process continuing in the soft resilient material between each relatively rigid plate. The added resilient spread of force over the plates automatically absorbs concussion and prevents kickback between the plates, all to further reduce the force of the blow to the head of the wearer.

While this invention has been described with particular reference to the construction shown in the drawing, it is to be understood that such is not to be construed as imparting limitations upon the invention, which is best defined by the claim appended hereto.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

A safety head cap for baseball, racing, and allied sports comprising, in combination, a main body portion having a front end and a rear end with spaced apart upper and lower extremities adapted to substantially completely receive the head and forehead of the wearer including the temple areas, top, and back of the wearers, head, said main body portion including a substantially cylindrical side wall extending between said upper and lower extremities for encircling the head, a sun visor secured intermediate the upper and lower extremities of said side wall adjacent to said front end of said main body portion, a dome shaped portion having at least a single rigid layer encased within outer resilient layers closing the upper extremity of said side wall, said domed portion including a plurality of perforations facilitating the passage of air therethrough for circulation of air within said cap, and said rear end of said main body portion extending below said lower extremity of said front end of said main body portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,875,143 Punton Aug. 30, 1932 2,351,235 Shroyer et al. June 13, 1944 2,374,675 Freedman May 1, 1945 2,698,434 Davia Jan. 4, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 356,578 Great Britain Sept. 10, 1931 429,558 Great Britain May 31, 1934 800,502 Germany Nov. 13, 1950 

